Chance to win entices Fraser to join football Lancers

Peter Fraser’s belief in the University of Windsor Lancers football program convinced him to give up a comfortable position at Acadia University and join the program.

The 40-year-old Fraser was introduced on Monday as a full-time assistant coach that will serve as defensive coordinator and the leading recruiter for the Lancers.

“The biggest reason I’m excited about coming here is because I think we can win here,” Fraser said. “I was very comfortable at Acadia and had a really good situation. I was very happy out there and wouldn’t have made a move like this unless I thought the program had the potential to win.

“I feel with the strong football grassroots here in Windsor and being able to attract a few more top recruits nationally, I think we have everything we need to be very competitive and win a Yates Cup eventually.”

Windsor had been without a full-time head coach since Donnavan Carter left the program in May of 2016 to take a position at Guelph. Joe Brannagan took on the role last season, but it was not a full-time basis.

“I have the utmost respect for Joe and he did me a favour, but it’s so challenging, when you have someone only coming in at 4 p.m. competing against guys putting in 13 hours a day and we’re excited to add Peter,” Lancers head coach Joe D’Amore said.

A native of Oromocto, which is just outside of Fredericton, Fraser played CEGEP football at John Abbott College in Montreal before heading to the University of Ottawa.

He spent two seasons at McGill University in Montreal as a fulltime assistant in charge of special teams and recruiting.

He then moved on to Acadia University in Wolfville, N.S., where he handled special teams, defensive line, recruiting and was eventually promoted to assistant head coach.

“He has an eight-year background in a variety of areas,” D’Amore said.

Fraser said it was D’Amore who approached Acadia head coach Jeff Cummins to see if Fraser would be interested in the position at Windsor.

“What I really was trying to sell them on was the recruiting connections I have in the Ottawa area, the East Coast and the CEGEP with the ability to attract some of the top student-athletes from those areas was the big selling point, in my opinion,” Fraser said.

He’s still hoping to make some inroads in that area before the start of next season.

“I think we’ll be able to open a couple of new avenues and be able to attract a couple of players late in the process to be able to help us in the fall,” Fraser said.

A former defensive lineman, that’s the point where Fraser wants to build Windsor’s defence.

“I think you have to build it from the front back,” said Fraser, who had six all-Canadian defensive linemen in eight seasons at Acadia. “In my opinion, any successful defence has a very good defensive line. Having a strong (defensive) line will bring a lot to the defence as a whole.”

Fraser fills one of the two fulltime coaching positions on the Windsor staff and D’Amore hopes to have the other filled in the near future.

“Now, moving forward, the school has seen if we want to be a playoff team and be a consistent playoff team, we have to have an investment,” D’Amore said. “We’ll have two full-time assistants, which we’ve never had, and that’s is going to be a big thing.

“We’re probably a couple of weeks away from announcing (the other) position. We want the best candidate for the job.”